Back to Weightlifting competitions

It has been a while since I wrote. In the mean time I started training for my first weightlifting competition after 2 years!. I competed on Sunday 29th May 2016. Started preparing following a programme 9 weeks prior and it felt great to actually work towards a goal again. I went in with the mentality of having fun and doing my best without any high expectations. This was 7 and a half months after the C section (not to make excuses but keeping it real)I weighed in at 73.09kg and missed 1 lift only. My snatch was 63kg and clean and jerk at 85kg. I need to work more on technique but I happy with this start. :) I came in second place in the women's category.

There is NO fast way to fat loss and getting fit but Fasting helps a lot.

So what is fasting exactly?Fasting is undergoing a period where no food or other calories are eaten. The body will go into fasting mode after 8-12 hours from the last meal eaten.

Whati is intermittent fasting? Does help for fat loss?Intermittent fasting (IF) is when one fasts for a certain period. For example for 16 hours daily or for a whole day 2x a week. This can also mean a time frame where all the calories usually eaten during a day will be eaten during the feeding window. It helps A LOT for fatloss since:1) you are not constantly feeding mini meals during the day2) Not constantly hungry3) Insulin levels will be low and Growth Hormone levels will be elevated during the fasting hours

And NO the metabolic rate will NOT slow down. Metabolic rate slows down after 72hours of starvation, very low calorie diets, steady state cardio and muscle loss.

It is more convenient:1: no need to wake up early to have breakfast2: no need to carry around a ton of mini containers and coolers full of mini meals3: no need to wash a lot of containers, pots, pans, cutlery :)4: no need to stop to eat every 2-3 hours 5: you will eat larger meals thus feeling fuller for longer :)

How does it work?Pick the best 8 hour feeding window for example 1pm-9pm. Have your allotted food during that time frame. The amount of calories and quality of food choices are still important here to help reach your goals.

The image was taken on 01/01/16 after the workout. 11 weeks post cesarean and 2 months Intermittent fasting (Christmas included)

Happy New Year

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Welcome baby Fleur

13th October 2015 is the day my daughter was born. I still cannot believe this miracle happened. She is now over 3 weeks old.. and that is for how long we haven't slept the night properly :) I had to undergo a Cesarean section since my hip bone happens to have an android shape (confirmed by CT scan), that is difficult to allow a baby to pass through from the top. Apparently 25% of women have this type of pelvis.I admit recovery was (still going) quite slow and difficult. I could barely walk, get in bed, get out of bed and in some moments even talk. As of the second week I started going for short slow walks and tried doing some very light weight (3kg dumbbell) training just to move my upper body a bit. Such exercises consisted of shoulder presses, lateral raises, dumbbell rows, bicep curls, dips, high pushups (against the sofa).

I only gained 8kg during pregnancy and thankfully I lost the baby weight and 3 weeks post partum -I am at my pre pregnancy weight. I got back to Intermittent Fasting ( making sure I eat sufficiently and nutritious for breastfeeding) and included the Vital5 pack by Forever Living. I take the aloe vera gel (which is the purest I could find) to help detoxing and for intestinal health, the Argi+ for improved circulation, Forever Arctic for those omega3s, Forever daily Multivitamins and Forever Active Prebiotic to help restore the intestinal flora (especially for after the antibiotics I took for the infected incision)

No gym, no problem

Usually, getting fit, training, weight loss, muscle strength... are all associated with having to go to the gym. If one already goes, is planning to go and be a member (and actually uses that membership to the fullest) that is awesome. However some of us, might shy away (no need to), do not like the atmosphere or have no clue what those torture machines are. You can still challenge your muscles and improve overall fitness and reach your goals. The easiest probably most practiced form of exercise is walking. Yes walking is a type of cardiovascular exercise which improves the circulation, mobilizes fat to be used as energy and improves the heart and lung function. However just going for a 2 hour stroll is not going to cut it. The system must be challenged. So to know you are on the right track, you must feel slightly breathless while walking and struggle to maintain a conversation. To further enhance your workout you can walk uphill, jog, and even doing intervals as walking, then jogging for a few minutes, walk, then sprint for a few seconds and walk and so on for 30 minutes.

Resistance training can be done without equipment too. You can train with your own body weight. For example the staples are sit-ups and reverse crunches for abs, push ups (beginners can start on knees) for chest, lunges and squats for legs and gluteus calf raises for calves, bridge for hamstrings and pull ups on a bar, for back. Therefore performing these (properly) for a number of times, with slight effort, will surely blast the whole body.

So here this was a little idea of what can be done to start a fitness regime. It is important to consult a physician first to confirm fitness for exercise and remember that safety first. It is best to ask for a personal trainer or gym instructor to show how these exercises are performed and what other ideas can be added to reduce boredom and to push you forward towards your aims.

Staying in tone

I hear this a lot, especially from women, who want to lose a couple of kgs. Usually what I hear is this ".....I want to lose some kgs, not become thin but toned" So what does toning mean? Answer: MUSCLE DEFINITION. To make it simpler it is reducing body fat and strengthening and maintaining or increasing lean muscle mass.How can this be achieved? Firstly the diet must be clean (i.e no junk food, sugar, pre packaged meals) with enough nutrients and energy to support general health and to feed the muscle. Remember that muscle takes up less space on our body than fat does, plus it burns much more calories even while at rest! Next point is exercise. Muscle must be challenged in order to be maintained and/ or grow. So resistance training must be done to wake up the muscle. What is resistance training and how can it be done? Resistance training is working against something where the muscles are involved to create motion. Basically lifting weights is resistance training. Other examples include using resistance bands or even using your own bodyweight. But we must lift HEAVY (i.e within our own capabilities) Girls, do not get scared, you will not end up looking like a hunk just by lifting weights a couple times a week. It takes decades to gain quality muscle mass and become like a bodybuilder.... unless that is your aim..sports wise ;) So as I mentioned resistance training can be done using resistance bands and your own body weight such as doing push ups, lunges, squats, pull ups, planks and the list goes on. Other methods include doing circuit training (as discussed in another note) where specific muscle groups or full body workout can be done to fire up the metabolic rate, increase heart rate and burn more calories. IMP: When starting out an new fitness regime, the go ahead from the doctor should be obtained. Plus proper execution of the exercise is a must, so go and ask the gym instructor or get in touch with a personal trainer to help you with a proper programme and in performing the exercise well. What about cardio? Cardiovascular training is important as well. It burns fat for fuel at moderate intensity. It is also important for muscle endurance, for circulation and our heart. Basically walking, running, cycling, aerobics, swimming and rowing are all forms of cardiovascular exercise. However just going for a passiggata (stroll) or a dip at Ghadira is not going to cut it...(sorry I had to break it to you) One must be slightly out of breath to know that moderate intensity is achieved. High intensity cardio such as sprinting or tightening the bike, or going uphill, really makes you feel the muscle burning (in a good ways) and bumps up the heart rate....and so does the calorie burning. An example of interval training can be: Walking for 5 minutess, run for 30 sec, walk for 1min, sprint for 15 sec, walk for 1 min, run for 30 sec and so on for 20 minutes. always finish with 5 minutes walk or cooling down. So it takes planning. A good programme should 'tone' you up, however it is a long term goal and a lifestyle change...so it takes time..do not be hard on yourselves...Rome wasn't build in a day....

Shopping list

Hi guys, I wanted to give you an idea regarding what to get when grocery shopping. It is easy to know what foods to eat and what is best to avoid, but when at the grocery store it is easy to get mixed up with the misleading claims and packaging labels. One of the most important rules to keep in mind is to have a clear list of what to get and not rely on impulse shopping. Most of the time when relying on memory or impulse shopping, the wrong food is most likely to be purchased. Therefore having a list in front of you helps with a better quicker trip to the supermarket. Another important tip is to avoid going food shopping on an empty stomach. It is easier to load your trolley with more tempting, unhealthy foods. Also going around the perimeter of the store is where the fresh best choices are.

Usually the drinks section is first find where water can be obtained. the frozen foods, refrigerated foods, fruit and vegetables sections are usually found around the store. Here is a sample shopping list whit the basic foods to get.

I hope this helps in giving you a guide on what to buy when hitting the stores, while saving money in getting local and fresher foods.

Stay safe

Jessica xxoxoxoxo

Eat your calories

Yes I said eat, not drink. This tip is about taking the process of digestion to our advantage. Our bodies are designed to digest food starting from the mouth where the teeth break down the food into smaller pieces making the food easier to swallow. The saliva has some enzymes which will help start the digestion process in the mouth. Then as food is swallowed, the acid and other juices in the stomach continue to further break down the food. Being protein, fat or carbohydrates the enzymes in the stomach are able to break down the food for better absorption, no matter what the combination of foods (whatever proteins with fat or proteins with carbohydrates or carbohydrates with fat). So yes the food combination diet is a FAD. But that is another topic.

What I want to talk about is using the ability of our digestive system to break down the food and not having the food already powdered, juiced, and simplified (unless there are medical reasons for that).

When we eat and digest the food, our body uses some energy as well in the process. About 10% of the calories we burn daily come from eating, the thermic effect of food. So we can use that to our advantage by eating wholesome foods spaced out during the day. The food which is mostly taxing to our body is protein, then cabs then fat which practically has no thermic effect.

The simpler the food the less the energy needed for the body to break down and absorb. So it is not wise to rely on shakes (which some of them are loaded with sugars) especially the so called weight loss, slimming shakes. Even fruits, they are meant to be eaten not juiced. Imagine how much longer would it take you to eat 5 oranges then simply downing their juice!

Another important tip is fibre. We as humans we are not able to break down fibre to obtain energy but the body still tries to break it down thus burning calories in the process without virtually gaining anything back. So my message here is to eat the food, wholesome proper foods for its full beneficial effect and to savour its flavour since after all eating is pleasurable as well. So why remove the pleasure in eating?

xoxoxo

The Rock Throwdown 2016

Team Scrubs and Drugs (Roberta being a scrub nurse and myself being a pharmacist) Tool part in the local CrossFit competition and won second place. :)

Another one off the bucket list. I took part in the Zurrieq 10km run on Sunday 13/11/16. It was fun and a nice experience and a good test for my stamina. I must admit I did not train specifically for it but I feel proud of myself and also my sister (who had the idea) to have finished strong :)